Ministère des Affaires Economiques. Office belge de gestion et de liquidation)

Ministère des Affaires Economiques. Office belge de gestion et de liquidation) 

In order to deal with numerous complaints, the Belgian Government-in-exile in Poitiers established the Office for the Identification and Liquidation of Belgian Goods through a decree passed by ministers in council on 3 June 1940. The mission of this office was to identify goods and preserve the property rights of Belgian goods in France whose owners were absent as a result of the war; to follow up on any requisitions concerning these goods; to ensure the conservation of these requisitioned goods; and to proceed with their possible liquidation. To this end, it had very broad powers. In the case of Great Britain, as of 3 September 1939, British war legislation came into force and all assets deposited in Great Britain and belonging to persons considered the enemies of England or its Allies were automatically confiscated. On 10 May 1940, during the invasion of Belgium, assets deposited in Great Britain and belonging to firms or persons domiciled in Belgium suffered the same fate: all assets belonging to firms or persons domiciled in Belgium had to be declared by the depositaries to the Custodian of Enemy Property. Bank deposits, etc., were blocked by order of the Custodian. Any amount that was due to firms or persons domiciled in Belgium at the time of the invasion, as well as all dividends, income, etc., that became due during the war years, had to be paid to the Custodian of Enemy Property. Following the agreement of 10 June 1940 between Great Britain and Belgium, as soon as a ship carrying goods destined for a Belgian port anchored in the English port to which it was diverted following the invasion of Belgium, the English Government automatically requisitioned the entirety of its cargo. In the meantime, contact was been established between the Belgian Government and the Franco-British Executive Committee for Maritime Transport, through the Baron Boël, in order to coordinate supply to Belgium along with supply to France and England. The Belgian merchant fleet was requisitioned. From 16 May 1940, the Belgian Shipping Advisory Committee (B.S.A.C.) took charge of Belgian maritime affairs in London. This Committee was the successor of the Shipping Group leadership within the Permanent Committee of the Belgian Delegation to the Franco-British Coordination Committee in London, which ceased to exist after 20 June 1940. The Belgian delegation to the Franco-British Coordination Committee, headed by Commander Boël, reported to the Belgian Embassy in London. On 20 July 1940, it was transformed into the Belgian Economic Mission with the aim of preserving Belgian maritime interests and assisting the Allied war effort. It managed the property and the Belgian fleet in Great Britain with the support of the Minister of Colonies De Vleeschauwer. It was comprised of a"managemen" section headed by Baron René Boël. Lieutenant Count Baillet-Latour and André van Campenhout were members and Reserve Lieutenant Henri-Robert Rueff was the deputy. E.J.G. Jacqmain was head of the accounting section. The Shipping Department was administered by its director René Lesure while Armand Harrewijn and Alfred Hamers were responsible for the Cargo Department. The Department endeavoured to manage a portion of these assets as best it could as well as ensure the recovery of the equivalent value of those assets requisitioned by the British Government, while paying the costs imposed on them on behalf of the owners. The B.S.A.C.'s operations were as follows: as soon as a ship carrying goods destined for a Belgian port anchored in an English port to which it had been diverted following the invasion of Belgium, the English Government requisitioned the entire cargo. A significant part of this cargo was taken over by the English Government (Ministry of Food, Ministry of Supply), and the remaining goods – made available to the B.S.A.C. after the event – were either handed over to the rightful owner upon presentation of title deeds, against the signature of a letter of indemnity and payment of expenses, or sold on behalf of the rightful owners. The Belgian Economic Mission was active from July 1940 to 31 December 1940. The Belgian Economic Mission was administratively dissolved on 31 December 1940. As of 1 January 1941, its activities were divided among other authorities. The management of ships with a home port in Great Britain was entrusted to the *Régie de la Marine*, while the management of assets destined for Belgium was ensured by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which continued to operate under the name of the Belgian Maritime Advisory Committee. A few days later, the Belgian Government-in-exile in London created the Belgian Administration and Liquidation Office in order to support the administrative departments responsible for the management of these assets and to determine the rights and obligations of the persons whose interests were concerned. The *Régie de la Marine* was set up in London by the Decree-Law of 29 August 1941. This public body was independent of the Ministry of Communications’ regular administration. The Belgian Administration and Liquidation Office (the Office) was established on 27 February 1941 following the Decree-Law pronounced by ministers in council in London. The Office was recognised as a legal personality and had its own statute. From 1949 onwards, the Office’s liquidation period began. On 31 March 1950, the Office ceased its operations. During the liquidation period, the staff dealt with the settlement of outstanding claims relating to the Anglo-Belgian and Belgo-South African agreements as well as the release of funds following the Anglo-Belgian agreement for which were entirely dependent on the Belgian-Luxembourg Exchange Institute. They also dealt with the recovery of debts and settlement with beneficiaries as well the release of Belgian assets under the agreement of 9 December 1948 with Australia; the recovery of debts and settlement with beneficiaries with regard to Palestine and India. Between 1945 and 1949, 12,091 debt files were created. As of 31 March 1950, the London and Brussels offices were closed, and the staff dismissed. From that date onwards, the Office's activity was limited to responding to information requests addressed to it. The majority of these requests concerned trade receivables. Jules Le Maire and Werner Koelman were in charge of settling the remaining cases. The official decision of the Board of Trade published on 7 May 1952 confirmed the total and definitive repeal of the Anglo-Belgian agreement of 6 October 1944, dated 1 May 1952. On 11 December 1953, the Administrative Council noted that the Office had completed its mission and that its legal existence could be terminated. This was the council’s last meeting. Article 2 of the Legislative Decree of 27 February 1941 stated that the Office's mission was to ensure the management and possible liquidation of the assets specified below, which would be transferred to it by the Minister responsible for Economic Affairs: 1. Tangible or intangible assets the custody, possession or ownership of which, since 1 September 1939, had been transferred to a foreign State or body by virtue of a measure of authority taken under war legislation or regulations, and had subsequently been transferred by that State or body to the Belgian State; 2. Compensation paid or payable to the Belgian State following one of the measures of authority referred to in the preceding paragraph; 3. under the conditions determined by the Minister responsible for Economic Affairs, any sum resulting from the liquidation by the State of the property referred to in point 1 of this Articl". By the Decree-Law of 17 April 1941, the Office was responsible for collecting, on behalf of Belgian insurance companies or insurance companies having a place of business in Belgium, the insurance premiums, other than maritime, owed by insured persons residing outside Belgium and the occupied territories. This decree, as amended by the Decree-Law of 8 January 1942, granted debtors required to pay insurance premiums the right to validly disburse the said premiums to the legal representatives of insurers residing outside the free territory or, in the absence of such representatives, to the Office. In addition, the Office was authorised by the Decree-Law of 8 January 1942 to receive, on behalf of persons absent or prevented from attending due to war circumstances, any insurance indemnities due, as a result of events prior to 10 May 1940, by insurers located outside the occupied territories. Under Article 7 of the Decree-Law of 19 March 1942, the Office may be appointed by the Minister for Economic Affairs as the managing agent of an absent individual who owns Belgian property in free territory. The Decree-Laws of 6 April 1943 and 12 December 1944 amended the Decree-Law of 27 February 1941. The first one gave the Office jurisdiction over any assets or rights transferred to it either by the Belgian Minister of Economic Affairs or directly by a foreign State, authority or body; and stipulated that the Office may be appointed as the authorised representative for property belonging to a legal person. Owners of property transferred to the Board were entitled to the equivalent value or proceeds of liquidation, less costs. All negotiations conducted by the Office, within the limits of its powers, were binding for the owners, who could also invoke the results of the negotiations. Article 2 of the Legislative Decree of 27 February 1941 was repealed and replaced by articles 2 and 2 bis of the Legislative Decree of 6 April 1943 as follows: article 2:"The Office shall have the task of managing and, where appropriate, liquidating any tangible or intangible assets the custody, possession or ownership of which has been or will be transferred to it by the Minister of Economic Affairs, or has been delivered to it with the approval of the Minister or by a foreign State, authority or bod"; article 2bis:"The Office may be appointed as auditor-manager pursuant to Article 19 of the Decree-Law of 19 February 1942 relative to the administration in time of war of commercial companies or as the authorised representative pursuant to Articles 3 and 7 of the Decree-Law of 19 March 1942 relative to the administration and management of certain assets located outside the occupied territorie". The Decree-Law of 12 December 1944 amended Article 6, which was replaced by Articles 6, 6bis and 6ter concerning the creation of a"Poo" comprising the gross proceeds from the liquidation of tangible and intangible assets whose management and liquidation had been entrusted to the Office. The Royal Decree of 12 December 1944 coordinated these provisions. Under Article 2 of this decree:"The task of the Office is to manage and, if necessary, liquidate any tangible or intangible assets the custody, possession or ownership of which has been or will be transferred to it by the Minister of Economic Affairs or has been transferred to it, with the approval of the Minister, by a foreign state, authority or bod". The first amendment to Article 5 of the Decree-Law of 27 February 1941 was intended not to disadvantage the owners of the goods that had been sold after a long period in storage. This decree also fundamentally modified the initially planned liquidation operations. The results of the sales varied greatly depending on the time when they were carried out and the nature of the goods. Some goods had been destroyed by enemy action in England and the Board of Trade paid the Office the value of the goods on the day of destruction. Finally, among the goods requisitioned by the British Government, there were also significant differences in the amounts of compensation between categories of goods. This is why, after December 1944, a"Poo" of most of the assets was created, the management and liquidation of which was entrusted to the Office. The creation of this"Poo" ensured equal distribution of the risks of the Office's overall approach among most owners. This was a legal equivalent to the concept of general average. Following the liberation of Belgium, the amounts resulting from the management of the Office were distributed *pro rata* between all the parties concerned on a well-defined basis. For very good reasons, the principle that the net proceeds of each batch of goods went to the rightful owner was abandoned. On the basis of the new principles, the balances of the accounting records were transferred to a"Poo". Deducting from this"Poo", four payments were made to the beneficiaries. The second change concerned freight costs. All costs incurred by the goods before they were unloaded in England were to be borne by the owners. However, in the case of freight not being paid from outset, the"Poo" covered the freight that should have been paid excess of the contractual freight costs. The “Pool” also benefitted from the difference in cases where contractual freight should have been paid. Excluded from the"Poo" were assets for which the Office had been appointed Commissioner or authorised representative, following the Decrees of 19 February and 19 March 1942. These goods were subject to a special regime. The Anglo-Belgian agreement of 6 October 1944 aimed to release Belgian assets seized in England during the war. The Office was responsible for unblocking bank accounts and securities belonging to Belgians who had resided in occupied territory. It acted as an intermediary between the Belgian-Luxembourg Exchange Institute, where applications for release were submitted, and the British Trading with the Enemy Department and the Custodian of Enemy Property. As far as trade receivables were concerned, the Office handled this recovery without the intervention of the Exchange Institute. It corresponded directly with Belgian creditors, was in constant contact with the Custodian of Enemy Property, who collected the sums declared to him by English debtors under British legislation on enemy property. The Office also dealt with dividends due before 1 February 1945 on Belgian-owned securities. These were also cashed and paid by the Office. Moreover, the Office handled the procedure for releasing the assets of Belgian-owned English companies that had been blocked and placed under the control of the Custodian (“vested in the Custodian”). It was responsible for unlocking safes belonging to Belgians after carrying out on-the-spot checks. The Office also dealt with the liberalisation of Belgian companies whose English branches worked under licence during the war. Finally, the Office was responsible for the release of other Belgian-owned properties in England such as real estate, diamonds, etc. At the beginning of 1948, the Office was responsible for resolving Belgian claims to South Africa under the agreement of 4 July 1947; and in 1948–1949, the government gave it the task of implementing the Belgian-Australian agreement of 9 December 1948. The Belgian-South African and Belgian-Australian agreements only allowed the amounts transferred by the respective receivers to be recovered. These amounts related, for example, to dividends due during the war years on registered shares of British, South African and Australian companies, etc. registered in the names of Belgian shareholders, or to pre-war trade and other receivables in favour of Belgian firms or persons which the debtors were unable to liquidate as a result of the occupation of Belgium. According to the terms of the agreements,"Belgian" were considered to be all persons or firms, without distinction of nationality, who, before and during the war, had their legal domicile in Belgium. This department was responsible for the management and liquidation of the goods transferred to it as well as the collection of compensation due following requisitioning measures of a foreign state. With regard to sales transactions, requests for offers were, for each commodity, addressed to firms that purchased the commodity on behalf of their customers. The conditions of sale were clearly specified. As soon as the sale was concluded, the Office issued a provisional invoice on the basis of the quantity noted in the documents in its possession (cargo analysis or copy of the manifest). This provisional invoice was sent to the Cargo Superintendents (London) Ltd. with a delivery order authorising the buyer to remove the goods from the warehouse where they were located. Cargo Superintendents issued the delivery order to the buyer against a receipt for the amount of the provisional invoice which it then paid to the Belgian Bank for Foreign Countries and into the Office's account. When the goods were delivered to the buyer, they were reweighed under the supervision of Cargo Superintendents, which thereby established the official final quantity on the basis of which the final invoice was drawn up. If the final invoice was in favour of the Office, Cargo Superintendents were responsible for collecting this balance; otherwise, the Office itself proceeded with the regularisation and sent a cheque to the customer. Each time Cargo Superintendents acted on behalf of the Office, they sent a debit note; all these debit notes were settled at the end of the month. Other charges on the goods were generally dockage, storage, etc. With regard to charges, the Port of London Authority or a similar body sent the Office corresponding debit notices. These notices were normally paid within one week of receipt. The Office would charge the owners an"intervention fe" as remuneration, as well as the insurance fees it paid for the goods. When the Office released goods against the surrender of title deeds and bank guarantee, it would claim from the persons concerned the insurance costs and any other costs incurred on behalf of the goods, as well as an intervention fee. All financial transactions were made by cheque. In a 1940 note, the organisation of the"Carg" Department under Armand Harrewijn was outlined. It was composed of four sections headed by Charles Demange, Deputy Director of the Office. Section No. 1 was responsible for the preparation of files and their final verification; Section No. 2 handled the disposal of goods and invoicing; Section No. 3 prepared files per load and per interested party and checked invoices; and finally, Section No. 4, was dedicated to freight service. This department, created by the Decree-Law of 17 April 1941, was responsible for collecting, on behalf of Belgian insurance companies or insurance companies with a registered office in Belgium, the insurance premiums, other than maritime, due by insured persons residing outside Belgium and the occupied territories. Insurance premiums were paid to the Office or to diplomatic and consular agents acting on its behalf in various parts of the world: Great Britain, the United States, Canada, the Belgian Congo, Palestine, etc. Accounting operations were simplified as much as possible: insured persons were debited by crediting the company concerned with the premiums for which they declared themselves liable and credited, by debiting the bank, with their payments. The bank account was subsequently used to pay the companies the amounts due to them. At the time of the transfer of the Office's Brussels bureau, the London office was mandated as an agent of the Belgian Government, inter alia, with the execution of the Anglo-Belgian agreement of 6 October 1944, the purpose of which was to release Belgian assets sequestered in England during the war. This was therefore a completely new activity for the Office, which began operating on 1 July 1945, under the direction of Jules Le Maire. The Office was responsible for unblocking bank accounts and securities belonging to Belgians who resided in occupied territory. It acted as an intermediary between the Belgian-Luxembourg Exchange Institute, where applications for release were submitted, and the British Trading with the Enemy Department and the Custodian of Enemy Property. As far as trade receivables were concerned, the Office handled this recovery without the intervention of the Exchange Institute. It corresponded directly with Belgian creditors and was in constant contact with the Custodian of Enemy Property, who had collected the sums declared to him by English debtors under British legislation on enemy property. The Office also dealt with dividends on Belgian-owned securities due before 1 February 1945. These were also collected and paid by the Office. Moreover, it handled the procedure for releasing the assets of Belgian-owned English companies that had been blocked and placed under the control of the Custodian (“vested in the Custodian”). It was responsible for unlocking safes belonging to Belgians after carrying out on-the-spot checks. The Office also dealt with the liberalisation of Belgian companies whose English branches worked under license during the war. Finally, the Office was responsible for the release of other Belgian-owned properties in England such as real estate, diamonds, etc. At the beginning of 1948, the Office was responsible for resolving Belgian claims to South Africa under the agreement of 4 July 1947; and in 1948–1949, the government gave it the task of implementing the Belgian-Australian agreement of 9 December 1948. The Belgian-South African and Belgian-Australian agreements only allowed the amounts transferred by the respective receivers to be recovered. These amounts related, for example, to dividends due during the war years on registered shares of British, South African and Australian companies, etc. registered in the names of Belgian shareholders, or to pre-war trade and other receivables in favour of Belgian firms or persons which the debtors were unable to liquidate as a result of the occupation of Belgium. The Office did not receive any subsidy from the government and covered its overhead costs by charging a fee on the payments which it handled as well as a fixed fee on the release applications it dealt with. About 12,500 accounts were transferred and the Office was able to liquidate the majority of them. The Office reimbursed the respective receivers for amounts that it had not been able to identify as falling under the terms of the agreements, as well as those tainted by enemy interests or concerning beneficiaries that could not be found. With regards to income and dividends, all those maturing after 1 February 1945 ceased to be subject to British war legislation. "The Office shall be administered by a board composed of at least five and at most seven members, including a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman, appointed by the Minister responsible for Economic Affairs and subject to dismissal by him. The board shall draw up its internal procedural rules, which shall provide for the financial organisation of the Office and in particular for measures relating to the cash sums at its disposal. It deliberates validly if a majority of the members are present; its resolutions are adopted by a majority of votes; the President has the deciding vote. The board meets at the request of the Minister, on the initiative of the President, the Government Commissioner or at the request of at least two members. The board has the broadest powers with regard to the material life and administration of the Office itself. Every six months, the Executive Board reports to the Minister on the Office's activities. This report is accompanied by the financial result". By decree of the Minister of Economic Affairs of 7 May 1941, Werner Koelman, a lawyer, and Antoine Declercq, the Consul General of Belgium in London, were appointed as President and Vice-President respectively to the Office’s Executive Board. By the same decree, Armand Donnay, Armand Harrewijn and Max Hollenfeltz du Treux were appointed to the board, while André van Campenhout and Jean Deguent were appointed respectively as Government Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner to the Office. By the Ministerial Order of 3 December 1947, Hippolyte Cools, the Trade Counsellor at the Belgian Embassy in London, was appointed to the Office’s Executive Board, thereby replacing Vice-President Antoine Declercq, whose resignation had been accepted. Max Hollenfeltz du Treux was subsequently appointed Vice President. Charles Demange was Deputy Director and then Director of the Office; Jules Le Maire, the department head and later Director of the Office in Brussels and P. Bourdon was the Chief Accountant. The Office's departments were located in several buildings throughout London (38 Belgrave Square, Orchard Lea, Eaton Square 10, 25 and 47) and Chesham Place, in the countryside, in the Chesham House (entry via Lyall Street). On 30 June 1945, some of the Office's departments were transferred to Brussels. The Brussels office was responsible for the settlement of cases with which the Office was entrusted during the war, i.e. cargo destined for Belgium and diverted to England; cases for which the Office was appointed Commissioner or Agent Manager; and nonmarine insurance. It also took over the activities of the Economic Recovery Office (formerly O.I.L.). And it served as an intermediary between London and interested parties. As of 15 April 1945, the Office leased the ground and first floors of the building located at No. 1 rue du Marquis in Brussels, which belonged to the Société des Propriétaires Réunis. In February 1948, it vacated the premises on the first floor, but continued leasing the ground floor premises. 1. Dossier concerning legislation, 1940–1943. 1 folder Projects of the Decree-Law, establishment Decree-Law, agreements between Belgium and England, and between Belgium and the Netherlands. 8642. Diagram of the Office's activity on 31 July 1941. 1 item 8643–8645. Max Hollenfeltz du Treux working files including letters received, meeting minutes of the Internal Committee, statements of goods for sale and minutes of the Executive Board. 8643. May–December 1941. 1 folder 8644. 1942. 1 folder 8645. 1943. 1 folder 8646. File concerning the legislation of the Office, 1940–1944. 1 folder Minutes, agreements, documentation. 8647. Minutes of the Executive Board’s Meetings, 1941–1943. 1 folder 8648. Minutes of the Executive Board’s meetings. Oil tanker-Purfinol, 1940. Report to the Regent 1944 on the work. Insurance file concerning shipments from Buenos Aires, New York, Congo, Portugal, Genoa, Marseille for Belgian prisoners of war, 1940–1945. 1 folder 8649. File with, among other things, draft letters of guarantee, 1941–1945. 1 folder 8650,"Nonmarine insuranc" and situation reports, 31 December 1941–31 December 1947. 1 folder 8651. Inventories of goods and property managed by the Office, 1943–1944, and status of property managed by the Office, 1945–1950, 1943–1950. 1 folder 8652. Correspondence between Max Hollenfeltz du Treux and Werner Koelman regarding nonmarine insurance and minutes of the Executive Board, 1943–1944. 1 folder 8653. Inventories of goods and reports of Cooper Brothers & Co on inventories of goods, 1941–1942. 1 folder 8654. Minutes of Executive Board meetings and general insurance file, 1941–1943. 1 folder 8655. General financial situation, 1944–1946, except nonmarine insurance accounts and the report on the financial situation on 31 December 1941, 1941–1946. 1 folder 8656. Inventory of goods showing the state of goods in stock in England, 6 May and 1 August 1941, and information on goods in stock, 1940–1949. 1 folder 8657. Contracts concluded before 6 May with the Customs Fund and the British Metal Corporation Ltd., 1940–1941. 1 folder 8658. Notes concerning contact with the Institute of Exchange and the Trading with the Enemy Department, 1940–1956. 1 folder 8659. Register of salaries and allowances for staff paid per week, 5 May 1941–1 April 1944. 1 volume 8660–8683. Cargo Department Correspondence indexes. 8660–8670. Correspondence received, no. 1–65700, 1 April 1941–9 August 1949. 8660. no. 1–1557, 1 April 1941–22 May 1941. 1 volume 8661. no. 1557–9397, 23 May 1941–22 November 1941. 1 volume 8662. no. 9398–18049, 24 November 1941–22 December 1942. 1 volume 8663. no. 18050–26946, 22 December 1942–11 April 1945. 1 volume 8664. no. 26947–30761, 11 April 1945–16 February 1946. 1 volume 8665. no. 30762–38500, 18 February 1946–20 May 1946. 1 volume 8666. no. 38501–44969, 20 May 1946–20 December 1946. 1 volume 8667. no. 44970–48041, 23 December 1946–5 April 1947. 1 volume 8668. no. 48042–53453, 8 April 1947–8 November 1947. 1 volume 8669. no. 53454–58884, 10 November 1947–11 September 1948. 1 volume 8670. no. 58884–65700, 13 September 1948–9 August 1949. 1 volume (8660–8664), 8671–8676. Correspondence sent, no. 1–51623, 1 April 1941–29 August 1950. (8660). no. 1–1202, 1023 (sic)–1039 (sic), 1240–1258, 1 April 1941–22 May 1941. 1 volume (8661). no. 1558 (sic)–5982, 24 May 1941–22 November 1941. 1 volume (8662). no. 5983–1010123, 24 November 1941–21 December 1942. 1 volume (8663). no. 10124–10975, 10276 (sic)–10518, 22 December 1942–10 April 1945. 1 volume (8664). no. 10519–12307, 13 April 1945–25 February 1946. 1 volume 8671. no. 12308–15344, 16 February 1946–7 June 1946. 1 volume 8672. no. 15345–21152, 7 June 1946–3 February 1947. 1 volume 8673. no. 21153–31154, 3 February 1947–6 November 1947. 1 volume 8674. no. 31155–31003 (sic), 7 November 1947–18 August 1948. 1 volume 8675. no. 31004–31039, 39046–44764, 18 August 1948–21 June 1949. 1 volume 8676. no. 44765–51623, 21 June 1949–29 August 1950. 1 volume 8677–8681. Correspondence received (not a continuous series), 6 May 1941–26 April 1946. 8677. no. 5002–6257, 6 May 1941–8 September 1941. 1 volume 8678. no. 6258–7203, 9 September 1941–4 March 1942. 1 volume 8679. no. 12388–1901, 6 March 1942–16 February 1943. 1 volume 8680. No. 24909–27768, 10041–10638, 12 September 1944–12 June 1945. 1 volume 8681. no. 1–10254, 26 March 1945–26 April 1946. 1 volume (8677–8680) 8682–8683. Correspondence sent (not a continuous series), 27 March 1945–21 February 1947. 8682. no. 1–10000, 1–233, 27 March 1945–14 March 1946. 1 volume 8683. no. 234–13628, 11 March 1946–21 February 1947. 1 volume 8684. Files per boat concerning cargo destined for Belgium in 1940 and their use in England, 1943–1944. 1 folder 8685. Reports on the general status of"carg" accounts, 1942–1950. 1 folder 8686. File concerning the Office's accounting, 1945–1949. 1 folder Contains a history of the Office, n.d.  

Ministère des Affaires Economiques. Office belge de gestion et de liquidation)